The Beer Nut: Making beer deep in the heart of the Bay State

The owner of the Petrol Station, a Houston bar named "The Most Bitter Bar in America" by Stone Brewing Company, has started his own brewing company, Brash. But instead of making it in the Lone Star state, Brash beers are being brewed right here in Massachussets.

By Norman Miller/DAILY NEWS STAFF

Wicked Local

By Norman Miller/DAILY NEWS STAFF

Posted Aug. 1, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Aug 1, 2012 at 1:16 AM

By Norman Miller/DAILY NEWS STAFF

Posted Aug. 1, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Aug 1, 2012 at 1:16 AM

» Social News

Ben Fullelove loves beer, especially big, hoppy beers.

His Houston bar, the Petrol Station, has twice been named "The Most Bitter Bar in America" by Stone Brewing Company.

And now, Fullelove has started his own brewing company, Brash, here in Massachusetts.

"I will make nothing but massive beers," said Fullelove. "I have no desire to make anything like ambers, blonde ales or pale ales.There are plenty of those."

Although Fullelove lives in Texas, Brash is being brewed and sold in Massachusetts at the Mercury Brewing Company in Ipswich. He said he hooked up with Mercury after meeting Gregg Berman, owner of Clown Shoes Brewing Company. Clown Shoes is also brewed at Mercury.

Berman had heard Fullelove worked with local Texas brewers to create beers for his bar, and asked him if he'd ever thought about brewing beer. Fullelove wanted to open a brewery, but in Texas bar owners cannot also manufacture beer.

Berman then convinced him to brew in Massachusetts.

"To do it out there, it's so awesome," said Fullelove. "Your craft scene is so incredible. It's hard to go out there and talk about my own product. I'm supposed to be promoting my beer, and you see all of these beers on the shelf and I'm in the liquor store loading up on stuff I can't get here so I can bring it back with me. To have my beer on the shelf next to these beers is pretty incredible."

The first two Brash beers on the shelf were actually collaboration beers with Clown Shoes - Pimp and Flight of the Pimp.

Brash has just recently released its first solo beer - The Bollocks, a huge, 12 percent alcohol by volume double IPA.

This is not a beer for the faint of the heart - if you don't like hops you might want to back away.

This beer is boozy, what you'd expect from a beer that high in alcohol. The hop bitterness is in your face. You get some citrusy, piney taste from the hops. There is a malt backbone providing sweetness, but the hops are the stars in this beer.

"I read a review online and some guy said it hurt his teeth," said Fullelove. "I took that as a huge compliment."

Fullelove said he has more beers planned. The next one will be Item Nine, which he describes a hoppy wheat beer, which will be 9 percent ABV. It will use Galaxy hops to provide some pineapple-like flavors, as well as Columbus hops for some piney flavors.

Another beer planned will be Texas Exile, named to make fun "of the fact I can't sell my beer in my own state." It will be a big imperial brown sugar ale, he said.

Page 2 of 2 - Fullelove said he also plans on doing a 11 percent ABV milk stout called Fog Lifter. There will be four different versions, each named for one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse described in the New Testament.

"I want to make beers that I want to drink," said Fullelove. "I want people to be impressed."